Devotional
At the beginning of Ephesians 3, Paul explains the “mystery” God revealed through Christ: the gospel is for everyone.
What was once understood as a separation between Jew and Gentile has been overcome through Jesus. In Christ, people who were once divided are now brought together as one body.
This is the beautiful mystery of the gospel: we are no longer defined by the things that separate us, but by the grace that has saved us.
Our backgrounds, accomplishments, relationships, careers, failures, cultures, and differences do not determine our ultimate identity.
As followers of Jesus, our deepest identity is found in Christ and in Christ alone. We are sinners who have been welcomed, forgiven, and saved—not because we earned it, but because of the immeasurable grace of God through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us.
We are no longer defined by the things that separate us, but by the grace that has saved us.
That truth should humble us. Paul describes himself as “the very least of all the saints,” yet he had been given the privilege of proclaiming the riches of Christ to others.
Paul understood that the gospel was never ultimately about Paul. It was about Jesus. And the same is true for us.
Because we have received the grace of Christ, we are called to share that grace with others. We do not proclaim the gospel as people who have figured everything out or somehow made ourselves worthy of God.
We proclaim it as people who know that we were once lost, but Jesus saved us. Our story is not about how impressive we are. It is about how gracious Jesus is.
The Gospel Changes Our Posture
Love
We can love people who are different from us because Christ welcomed and loved us.
Humility
We speak about Jesus humbly because we are saved by grace, not by our own goodness.
Boldness
We boldly share the gospel because the power to save comes from God—not from us.
Then, in verses 14–21, Paul shifts into prayer. Paul prays that believers would be strengthened by God’s Spirit, rooted and established in love, and given the ability to comprehend the incredible love of Christ.
He ends with one of the most encouraging declarations in Scripture:
Ephesians 3:20
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”
Consider where Paul was when he wrote these words. He was imprisoned, surrounded by difficult circumstances, and yet his confidence in God had not been diminished.
Paul knew that his circumstances did not limit God’s power.
Neither do ours.
We may not know what God is doing in our lives right now. We may feel stuck in a difficult season, uncertain about our future, discouraged by our failures, or unsure of what comes next.
But Ephesians 3 reminds us that God is not limited by what we can see. He is capable of doing far more than we could ask, imagine, or accomplish on our own.
The invitation is not to have greater confidence in ourselves. It is to have greater confidence in Him.
Truths to Carry With You
Our identity is in Christ.
Our salvation is by grace.
Our calling is to make Christ known.
Our hope rests in a God who can do far more than we could ever imagine.
Application
Remember who defines you.
Take an honest look at what you use to define yourself. Is it your career, relationships, appearance, success, social life, failures, or what other people think of you?
Remind yourself today that your ultimate identity is not found in any of these things. If you belong to Christ, you are His.